PCSAO Weekly Update: February 5, 2024

Weekly Update: February 5, 2024

Association News

Community Education Committee brushes up on Canva

Turnout was high for the Community Education Committee meeting, which took place virtually Feb. 2. Reba Chenoweth (Montgomery County JFS), Greg Sowinski (Allen County CSB) and Hannah Telesz (Trumbull County CSB) presented on using Canva to enhance design, outreach, and engagement. The training included 1) Building a Foundation: Discover the key Canva features & capabilities; 2) Taking it the Next Level: Implementing a cross-platform brand identity & strategy; and 3) Expert-Level Mastery: Advanced application using A/I and multimedia. The recording of the training will be available to member agency staff upon request. Other topics included March levies, roundtable questions, and PCSAO and county updates. The next meeting will be March 8 and will feature staff from the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund on planning for April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Wear Blue campaign tool kit updated

Many PCSAs are already starting to prepare for Wear Blue Day on April 10. PCSAO has updated its Wear Blue webpage with a 2024 Campaign Tool Kit. Be sure to follow our Wear Blue Facebook page.

Perry County school outreach program gets national attention

Perry County's school outreach program was featured in the University of Connecticut School of Social Work's Innovation Institute newsletter for its proactive approach to supporting children and families. By placing caseworkers in elementary schools to provide intervention services including truancy prevention, community referrals, and links to local resources, crisis intervention, summer support, and assistance with basic needs, the program aims to reduce the need for more formal agency intervention. Read more about the program here.

Ohio START

Ohio START offers foundations training

Next week, Ohio START will facilitate Foundations II: Hiring and Supervising Family Peer Mentors. This full day training is intended for PCSA and behavioral health staff who supervise Ohio START Family Peer Mentors. Attendees will learn about the hiring process and how to ensure cohesive co-supervision.

Save the date: 2024 Ohio START Annual Summit

The 2024 Ohio START Summit will take place May 2 at Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center near Columbus. This event brings together caseworkers, supervisors, behavioral health providers, and family peer mentors for a day of networking and learning how best to serve Ohio's families struggling with co-occurring child maltreatment and substance use disorder. Registration is anticipated to open in March. Please contact anne@pcsao.org with any questions.

Presenter application deadline extended

Ohio START is seeking proposals for unique and energizing workshops targeted towards child protection, peer support, and substance use treatment professionals for the 2024 Ohio START Summit. Workshops that are 1-1.5 hours in length and can be offered for CEUs are preferred. Local presenters and panel discussions will be given special consideration. The deadline to apply is Feb. 19. Apply here.

Ohio START Award nominations

Nominations are open for the 2024 Ohio START Awards! Awards will be presented May 2 at the Ohio START Summit to agency staff and partners for their outstanding service to Ohio families. Nominations for the Ohio START Caseworker, Supervisor, Family Peer Mentor, and Partner of the Year are due March 4. Learn more and complete the nomination here.

Rules Update

Clearance

As of Feb. 2, there are no children services-related rules in clearance.

Filed with JCARR

The following rules were final-filed on Jan. 26 with an effective date of Feb. 15:

Rule 5101:2-42-65 - Caseworker visits and contacts with children in substitute care.
Rule 5101:2-42-66.1 - Comprehensive health care for children in placement.

Resources and Clips

Resources and Opportunities

2024 Northwest Youth Leadership Retreat

The Ohio Youth Advisory Board (OHIO YAB) and ACTION Ohio are partnering with The Ohana Project, Lucas County Children Services, Allen County Children Services and the Bridges Northwest Regional Coordinator to plan and facilitate a Northwest Ohio Youth Leadership Retreat for current and former foster youth (ages 14-24). Registration is free but required. See the flyer to learn more and register here.

2024 OFCA conferences

Ohio Family Care Association (OFCA) will hold three conferences across Ohio in 2024. Join OFCA at the Cincinnati Regional Conference for a day of support, training, and advocacy on March 9. Register here.

Child Protection in the News

Jan. 31 – Rural attorney program repays student loans – Court News Ohio

A shortage of attorneys to meet the legal needs of the people she serves isn’t exclusive to the state’s least-populated county. It’s a statewide concern. People living in these communities are far less likely to have access to lawyers as they navigate complex legal issues related to health care, housing, food assistance, criminal defense, juvenile cases, abuse, and delinquency.

Jan. 30 – 8,500 unaccompanied migrant children connected with adults in Ohio. – Cincinnati Enquirer

Children fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries show up at the border of the United States by themselves every day. When they get there, the federal government moves the unaccompanied minors into shelters, similarly to the way a local agency might put a foster child in a group home, until the Office of Refugee Resettlement can find them a suitable sponsor. The sponsor agrees to take care of the child while they go through deportation proceedings.

Jan. 30 – Ottawa County joins multi-county program to benefit foster children – Beacon

In January 2022, the Departments of Job & Family Services (DJFS) in Seneca, Sandusky and Wyandot counties collaborated with the Mental Health Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky & Wyandot Counties (MHRSB) to create the Tiered Treatment Foster Home Program in an effort to better serve local children in foster care.

Jan. 29 – 'Taking too many lives.' Overdose deaths continue to spike in Stark County – Canton Repository

Stark County has received both good news and bad news as we continue to struggle in this epic battle against the harrowing opioid epidemic.

Calendar and Job Postings